Manual Heater Control Valve Tap Repair for Series late IIa

[kenscs]

Does anyone have suggestions for sourcing or repairing a leaky Manual Heater Valve on a '71 Series IIa? It leaks out of the top of the valve, so it seems like the brass is worn enough that it has to be replaced. It looks like the last owner expoxy'ed the heck out of it to stop the leaks, but now the base has sheared off, etc. RN has a Series III kit that looks like it will control the flow to the heater (Smith Block) from inside the cab, but it is expensive and seems like it is installed near the thermastat as opposed to near the bulkhead end of the block like this one. I did see one listed in the U.K. on Famous Four Website. Thanks for any help! Here is a photo of the valve. It leaks up near the knob on top where the shaft goes into the body.

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[luckyjoe]

Skip the LR valve alltogether. Get a water valve for a mid-80's VW Rabbit (now Golf). They cost about $15. Below is a picture of my restored Kodiak Mk.IV, and in the front left you'll see what this valve looks like.
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In place of the LR valve, order this thread-in hose barb (http://www.roversnorth.com/p-2320-adapter-heater-pipe-225l.aspx) from our hosts, install it at the rear of your head. This is the heater take-off point. I fit the valve between this point and the heater core, then used a choke cable to actuate. It works fantastic - full on/off with easy modulation in between - all from in the cab!

[jac04]

The valve part number is 88G588L and is still available (although not apparently from our hosts). It was used on Land Rovers as well as other British cars. I bought a Genuine one from www.lrseries.com (http://www.lrseries.com) for cheap, but they are currently out of stock.

RovahFarm has it listed:
http://www.rovahfarm.com/seriescoolingpage2.htm

Also found it cheap ($22) here:
http://www.lbcarco.com/parts/valveheater-360-400.htm

Remember to pick up a new sealing washer to go with it.

[Tsmith]

jac04 is correct. If you wish to pay more, any supplier of cars using the Truimph TR2-3-4 engine has the same valve. I was able to lap the seat, replace the washer and add new packing to the valve and rescue mine. The time spent easily exceeded the value of a new valve.

[kenscs]

Thanks everyone for the help. Since I wanted to get running quickly, I did a quick "fix" for now by soldering the valve permanently open around the valve stem (see photo). Worked fine for now. But after all the research and help, I think I am going to go ahead and order the '84 Rabbit Valve that luckyjoe suggested. Found it for $3.95 online. Hard to beat that!

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